Tag Archives: Eliot Baker

Men’s European Nations Championship – 2025 Preview & Results

Posted on by

29th March 2025

Round 4

Team (best 3 from 4 scores count)

ENGLAND (-8) won the Men’s European Nations Championship at RCG Sotogrande by 14 shots.

The England Team (Photo: England Golf)

SPAIN (+6) finished 2nd, ESTONIA (+7) were 3rd, ITALY (+16) 4th and FRANCE (+17) 5th.

It was a disappointing week in Spain for the other three home nation teams who were all well off the pace. WALES (+39) finished tied 11th, IRELAND (+34) tied 13th and SCOTLAND (+45) 15th.

Team Results (Graphic: RFE Golf / GolfDirecto)

Click here to view the – 2025 ENC Men’s Team Results

Individual

Estonia’s Kevin JEGERS (-14) completed an impressive wire-to-wire victory in the Individual competition at the European Nations Championships.

Harley SMITH (-6) finished 2nd, Daniel HAYES (-5) 3rd and Pablo LOPEZ (-3) 4th. Only four of the 72 competitors completed the 72 holes with an under par score demonstrating the extent of the test posed by Sotogrande.

Eliot BAKER (+7) tied 13th, Ross LAIRD (+13) tied 29th, Jonathan BALE (+15) tied 34th and Matt MCCLEAN (+16) tied 39th were the other GB&I players to finish the event in the top 40.

The average score in Round 4 was 75.82 (+3.82).

Individual Results (Graphic: RFE Golf / GolfDirecto)

Click here to view the – 2025 ENC Men’s Individual Results

ME.

___________________________________________

28th March 2025

Round 3

Team (best 3 from 4 scores count)

A superb -11 team score in Round 3 lifted ENGLAND (-8) into a commanding 1st place in the Men’s European Nations Championship at RCG Sotogrande.

SPAIN (+3) are now 2nd, ITALY (+7) 3rd, ESTONIA (+8) 4th and FINLAND (+11) 5th heading into tomorrow’s final round.

The other home nations are finding the going tough in Spain with IRELAND (+34) tied 14th, WALES (+36) 16th and SCOTLAND (+37) 17th.

Round 3 Team Scores (Graphic: RFE Golf / GolfDirecto)

Click here to view the – 2025 ENC Men’s Team Round 3 Scores

Individual

Estonia’s Kevin JEGERS (-9) continues to lead the way in the Individual standings with Spain’s Pablo LOPEZ (-7) two shots behind him in 2nd place.

The English trio of Daniel HAYES (-5) 3rd, Harley SMITH (-2) 5th, after a tournament best bogey free 7-under 65 today, and Eliot BAKER (+3) tied 9th are all in the top 10.

Jack MCDONALD (+7) tied 19th, Tomi BOWEN (+8) tied 22nd and Luke O’NEILL (+11) tied 32nd lead the way for the other home nation teams.

The average score in Round 3 was 76.05 (+4.05) which demonstrates how good Smith’s 65 was.

Round 3 Individual Scores (Graphic: RFE Golf / GolfDirecto)

Click here to view the – 2025 ENC Men’s Individual Round 3 Scores

ME.

___________________________________________

27th March 2025

Round 2

Team (best 3 from 4 scores count)

FINLAND (-3) lead SPAIN (-1) and ESTONIA (Ev) after Round 2 of the Men’s European Nations Championship at RCG Sotogrande.

ENGLAND (+3) are 4th, IRELAND (+19) tied 11th, SCOTLAND (+25) 15th and WALES (+29) 17th.

Round 2 Team Scores (Graphic: RFE Golf / GolfDirecto)

Click here to view the – 2025 ENC Men’s Team Round 2 Scores

Individual

Estonia’s Kevin JEGERS (-7) continues to lead the way in the Individual standings with Finland’s Ville VIRKKALA three shots behind him in 2nd place.

From a home nation perspective Daniel HAYES (-2) is tied 3rd, Eliot BAKER (+4) tied 18th, Harley SMITH, Tomi BOWEN & Luke O’NEILL (+5) all tied 24th and Jack MCDONALD (+6) tied 34th.

The average score in Round 2 was 75.37 (+3.37).

Round 2 Individual Scores (Graphic: RFE Golf / GolfDirecto)

Click here to view the – 2025 ENC Men’s Individual Round 2 Scores

ME.

___________________________________________

26th March 2025

Round 1

Team (best 3 from 4 scores count)

ESTONIA (-2) lead the Men’s European Nations Championship at RCG Sotogrande in Spain.

AUSTRIA (-1) are 2nd and ITALY and ENGLAND (Ev) are tied 3rd.

The other home nations had a disappointing opening round with defending champions IRELAND (+9) tied 12th, SCOTLAND (+13) tied 14th and WALES (+20) tied 17th.

Round 1 Team Scores (Graphic: RFE Golf / GolfDirecto)

Click here to view the – 2025 ENC Men’s Team Round 1 Scores

Individual

Estonia’s Kevin JEGERS and Austria’s Jacob LOTSCHAK shot 3-under 69’s to take the early lead in the Individual standings.

English pair Eliot BAKER and Daniel HAYES (-1), tied 5th, were the best of the GB&I players.

Ireland’s John DOYLE (+2) tied 24th, Wales’ Tomi BOWEN (+3) tied 35th and Scotland’s Ross LAIRD & Gregor TAIT (+4) tied 43rd led the way for the other countries.

The average score in Round 1 was 75.04 (+3.04).

Round 1 Individual Scores (Graphic: RFE Golf / GolfDirecto)

Click here to view the – 2025 ENC Men’s Individual Round 1 Scores

ME.

___________________________________________

25th March 2025

The Men’s European Nations Championship (ENC) starts on Wednesday 26th March at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande in Andalucía, Spain.

R.C.G. Sotogrande is the permanent home of the ENC and this will be the 17th playing of the event.

It is a 72 hole stroke play Team and Individual competition.

I will be providing daily reports on this page once the Championship commences.

Field
18 four-man teams (72 players) will play for the Team prize.

Teams representing Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Wales will be joined by one from RCG Sotogrande.

There is also an Individual prize on offer to the field.

The following players have been selected to represent the four competing home nations in 2025: –

England – Eliot BAKER, Daniel HAYES, Tom OSBORNE, Harley SMITH

Ireland – Brian DORAN, John DOYLE, Matt MCCLEAN, Luke O’NEILL

Scotland – Alexander FARMER, Ross LAIRD, Jack MCDONALD, Gregor TAIT

Wales – Tomi BOWEN, Jonathan BALE, Caolan BURFORD, Archie DAVIES

A Women’s ENC, made up of 10 three player teams, also takes place alongside the Men’s competition. No home nations are competing this year.

Format and Prizes
72 holes of stroke play, with 18 holes played daily, will be contested by all of the players. There is no cut.

In the Team event the best three 18-hole scores from the four players count towards the overall total.

In the case of a tie for 1st place it will be resolved by the best player score being discarded and if the tie persists, the second best score discarded and so on. If scores are still tied a team member will be nominated and a sudden death play-off will be contested. Other tries will not be resolved.

The Individual prize is awarded to the lowest scoring player. Ties for 1st place will be broken via a sudden death play-off. Any remaining ties will be broken by the best results of the last 18, 27, 36, etc., holes.

Winning Team members each receive a replica of the Nations Trophy. The Individual champion receives a trophy and a bright yellow jacket.

Venue and Course
Real Club de Golf Sotogrande was opened in 1964 and was originally designed by Robert Trent Jones. One of the best courses in Continental Europe it first held the Spanish Open in 1966, won that year by Roberto de Vicenzo.

In 1970 The Sherry Cup, the precursor of the European Nations Cup / Championship, was established. Former Individual winners of this include Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia. (see below for the full list of past Individual winners).

In 1973 a Women’s event started to be played alongside the Men’s.

In 1983 Sotogrande hosted the Spanish Amateur Championship with Jose Maria Olazabel victorious.

Sotogrande was awarded royal patronage by HM King Juan Carlos I in 1994.

Between 1996 and 2001, in tandem with nearby San Roque GC, the course hosted the European Tour’s Qualifying School.

In 2006 The Sherry Cup was rebranded as the European Nations Cup and in 2017 become known as the European Nations Championship played for the Sotogrande Cup.

In 2011, ahead of it’s 50th anniversary, the Club decided to embark upon a major course renovation appointing Roger Rulewich and David Fleury. With the work on greens, bunkering and drainage taking place in 2015 and early 2016 the ENC moved temporarily to the nearby La Reserva Club de Golf for two years. Since 2017 the competition has been played on the renovated course.

The Black Tee Championship Course at Sotogrande plays 6,492m with a par of 72. The front nine measures 3,163m and the back 3,329m.

Weather Forecast
The forecast looks good with unusually low winds currently expected. Wind, often stronger in the afternoon, can cause problems given the numerous water hazards on the course.

Wednesday 26th – Mist AM / Sunny PM.  Min. 10°C / Max. 18°C; Wind W 5mph
Thursday 27th – Sunny. Min. 10°C / Max. 19 °C; Wind NW 6mph
Friday 28th – Sunny. Temp. Min. 11°C / Max. 20°C; Wind N 7mph
Saturday 29th – Sunny. Temp. Min. 12°C / Max. 20°C; Wind N 8mph

Past ENC Winners

The home nations have an excellent record, particularly in recent years, in this event.

Team Competition

2024  Ireland     2024 ENC Team Results

img_8167-1

Ireland Team (Photo: Golf Ireland) 

2023  England     2023 ENC Team Results
2022  Spain     2022 ENC Team Results
2021  Cancelled
2020  Cancelled
2019  England     2019 ENC Team Results
2018  England     2018 ENC Team Results
2017  Wales    2017 ENC Team Results
2016  Ireland    2016 ENC Team Results
2015  England
2014  Scotland
2013  England
2012  France
2011  England
2010  England
2009  England
2008  Scotland
2007  Denmark

Past Sherry Cup Team Winners (started 1998)

2006  Spain
2005  Spain
2004  England
2003  England
2002  Wales
2001  England
2000  England
1999  Germany
1998  Spain

Individual Competition

2024 James Ashfield (WAL)     2024 ENC Men’s Individual Results

img_9297-1

James Ashfield (Photo: Golf Wales)

2023 Albert Hansson (SWE)     2023 ENC Men’s Individual Results
2022 Jaime Montojo (ESP)     2022 ENC Men’s Individual Result
2021  Cancelled
2020  Cancelled
2019  Tom Sloman (England)     2019 ENC Individual Results
2018  Todd Clements (England)    2018 ENC Individual Results
2017  Jack Davidson (Wales)    2017 ENC Individual Results
2016  Jack Hume (Ireland)    2016 ENC Individual Results
2015  Mario Galliano (Spain)
2014  Guido Migliori (Italy)
2013  Adrien Saddier (France)
2012  Robin Kind (The Netherlands)
2011  Julien Brun (France)
2010  Nino Bertasio (Italy)
2009  Sam Hutsby (England)
2008  Shane Lowry (Ireland)
2007  Rory McIlroy (Ireland)

Past Sherry Cup Individual Winners

2006  Nigel Edwards (Wales)
2005  Gary Wolstenholme (England)
2004  Francesco Molinari (Italy)
2003  Gary Wolstenholme (England)
2002  Lee Harpin (Wales)
2001  Gary Wolstenholme (England)
2000  Gary Wolstenholme (England)
1999  Marcel Siem (Germany)
1998  Sergio Garcia (Spain)
1997  Sergio Garcia (Spain)
1996  Alvaro Salto (Spain)
1995  José María Zamora (Spain)
1994  Francisco Cea (Spain)
1993  Francisco Valera (Spain)
1992  Frederic Cupillar (France)
1991  Padraig Harrington (Ireland)
1990  Alvaro Prat (Spain)
1989  Diego Borrego (Spain)
1988  Yago Beamonte (Spain)
1987  Yago Beamonte (Spain)
1986  Borja Queipo de Llano (Spain)
1985  José L. Padila (Spain)
1984  John Marks (England)
1983  José L. de Bernardo (Spain)
1982  Borja Queipo de Llano (Spain)
1981  Veit Pagel (Germany)
1980  Jesús López (Spain)
1979  Veit Pagel (Germany)
1978  José L. de Bernardo (Spain)
1977  F. Jiménez (Spain)
1976  Alberto Croze (Italy)
1975  Veit Pagel (Germany)
1974  Veit Pagel (Germany)
1973  Alberto Croze (Italy)
1972  E. de la Riva and J. Gancedo (Spain)
1971  Alberto Croze (Italy)
1970  Henric Adam (England)

ME.

Copyright © 2014-2025, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

The St. Andrews Links Trophy – 2024 Preview & Results

Posted on by

9th June 2024

Seb CAVE (ENG) completed a wire-to-wire victory in the 35th St. Andrews Links Trophy after a final day of play on the Old Course.

img_8730-1

Seb Cave (Photo: St. Andrews Links Trust)

Cave speaking to the St. Andrews Links Trust Media Team afterwards said “It feels amazing. You can’t really get much bigger than this as an amateur. I’ve never really seemed to crack it round here but I came here with a good mindset and I genuinely believe having my girlfriend on the bag has helped massively and I just stayed chilled.”

Round 4

A 1-under par 71 in the final round was good enough to get Seb CAVE (ENG) over the line at St. Andrews.

img_8723-1

Seb Cave’s Championship Scorecard (Graphic: St. Andrews Links Trust / Golf Genius)

Simon HOVDAL (SWE) was one shot behind Cave playing the 18th but a double bogey, having surprisingly pulled his tee shot left and out of bounds, relieved the pressure on the winner and saw the Swede tumble down to 4th place on -3.

Harley SMITH (ENG), who finished with a 68, came 2nd ahead of Calum SCOTT (SCO) 3rd on count back after they both completed the tournament on 283 (-4).

Paul BEAUVY (FRA) was 5th on count back from Hovdal with Lars VAN DER VIGHT (NED) -2 6th. The Dutchman’s 67 this afternoon was the best final round score.

img_8725-1

Lars Van Der Vight’s Round 4 Scorecard (Graphic: St. Andrews Links Trust / Golf Genius)

Josh HILL (ENG), Will HOPKINS (ENG) and Cameron ADAM (SCO) all finished on -1 to make the top 10.

With the winds receding as play moved into the early evening the average score in Round 4 from the field was an impressive 72.76 (+0.76).

img_8720-1

Results – Top 20 (Graphic: St. Andrews Links Trust / Golf Genius)

Click here to view the – 2024 St. Andrews Trophy Leaderboard

Round 3

The two overnight leaders did not enjoy their third rounds on a breezy Old Course which made scoring difficult. Seb CAVE (ENG) posted a 75 and Simon HOVDAL (SWE) a 78.

The good news for Cave was that he maintained his 2-shot lead heading into the final round.

Scottish pair Calum SCOTT 69 and Cameron ADAM 71 joined James ASHFIELD (WAL) 73 in tied 2nd place -2, all within striking distance.

Altin VAN DER MERWE (RSA) -2 tied 5th, Paul BEAUVY (FRA) -2 tied 5th and Caolan RAFFERTY (IRL) -1 7th were the only other players under par after 54 holes.

The best third round score came from 2024 French International Amateur champion Benjamin REUTER (NED) who recorded a 4-under 68.

img_8719-1

Benjamin Reuter’s Round 3 Scorecard (Graphic: St. Andrews Links Trust / Golf Genius)

The average score around the Old Course (par 72) on Sunday morning was 74.85 (+2.85) from the 49 remaining competitiors.

img_8715-1

Round 3 Scorecard – Leaders (Graphic: St. Andrews Links Trust / Golf Genius)

ME.

_______________________________________

8th June 2024

Round 2

Play moved across to the Old Course on Saturday with Seb CAVE (ENG) maintaining his lead after recording a 3-under 69.

Simon HOVDAL (SWE) had the best round of the day; his 6-under 66 moved him up to 2nd place just two shots behind our leader.

img_8711-1

Simon Hovdal’s Round 2 Scorecard (Graphic: St. Andrews Links Trust / Golf Genius)

James ASHFIELD (WAL), Josh HILL (ENG), Will HOPKINS (ENG), Caolan RAFFERTY (IRL), Paul BEAUVY (FRA), Cameron ADAM (SCO) and Andrew DAVIDSON (SCO) all finished the day on 141 (-2) and tied 4th.

English pair Josh Hill and Harley SMITH, who is tied 10th on Even par, both posted 68’s for the joint second best score on Day 2.

49 players made the top 40 and ties 36 hole cut which fell at 147 (+4).

Conor GRAHAM (SCO), who birdied his four of his last five holes, and Dominic CLEMONS (ENG), who birdied the 18th, both shot 1-under 71’s to bounce back well from disappointing opening rounds and make the cut on the +4 mark.

The average score around the Old Course (par 72) from the 144 competitors was 75.24 (+3.24). Conditions were better for the early starters with showers and strong winds coming in during the afternoon.

img_8712-1

Round 2 Scorecard – Leaders (Graphic: St. Andrews Links Trust / Golf Genius)

ME.

_______________________________________

7th June 2024

Round 1

Seb CAVE (ENG) separated himself from the field with an opening round of 66 (-5) on the New Course which included seven birdies.

img_8687-1

Seb Cave’s Round 1 Scorecard (Graphic: St. Andrews Links Trust / Golf Genius)

Max KENNEDY (IRL), Eliot BAKER (ENG), Luis MASAVEU (ESP) and James ASHFIELD (WAL) are all tied for 2nd place after firing 69’s (-2).

Nine players including Andrew DAVIDSON (SCO), Harry CROCKETT (ENG), Hugh FOLEY (IRL) and Cameron ADAM (SCO) are tied 6th on -1.

Looking forward to the 36 hole top 40 and ties cut 37 players finished the day on +1 or better with a further 13 on +2.

The average score around the New Course (par 71) from the 144 competitors was 74.70 (+3.70).

img_8688-1

Round 1 Scorecard – Leaders (Graphic: St. Andrews Links Trust / Golf Genius)

ME.

_______________________________________

31st May 2024 (Updated 4th June 2024)

144 golfers will tee off on Friday 7th June in the 35th St. Andrews Links Trophy.

This three day event has become one of the ‘majors’ in men’s amateur golf helped by its venue and timing.

I will be updating this article with daily reports once play gets underway.

Competition Format

The Links Trophy is a 72 hole scratch stroke play competition played annually over the St. Andrews Links in early June.

The field is primarily determined by reference to the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and finished off with various National Golf Union and St. Andrews Links Trust nominations.

This year Round 1 will be played on the New Course and Round 2 on the Old Course. The Jubilee Course is sometimes used for Round 1 but not this year.

The New Course plays 6,681 yards to a par of 71. The front nine is 3,302 yards long with a par of 36 whilst the tougher back nine is slightly longer at 3,379 yards but has a lower par of 35. It has a Course Rating of 73.3 and a Slope of 132.

The Old Course has been set up at 7,171 yards for the event and has a par of 72. Both nines have a par of 36 and have similar yardages – the front is 3,535 yards long whilst the back is longer at 3,636 yards. It has a Course Rating of 75.6 and a Slope of 143.

Following a top 40 and ties cut on Saturday the leading players will play a final 36 holes on the Old Course on Sunday.

The winner will be the player who returns the lowest 72 hole aggregate score.

In the event of a tie a sudden death play-off will be held over holes 1 and 18 on the Old Course.

Ties for all other places will be decided by the lowest score for the last 18 holes or the last 9 or 6 or 3 or 1 hole if necessary.

The Field

As this is the first event that takes place in Great Britain & Ireland after the U.S. college season has ended the field is stronger than we have seen in recent weeks.

26 different countries will be represented in Fife.

The players I will be following most closely are James ASHFIELD (WAL), Eliot BAKER (ENG), Jack BIGHAM (ENG), Tomi BOWEN (WAL), Dominic CLEMONS (ENG), Harry CROCKETT (ENG), Quinton DEBOVE (FRA), Matty DODD-BERRY (ENG), Charlie FORSTER (ENG), Connor GRAHAM (SCO), Gregor GRAHAM (SCO), Will HOPKINS (ENG), Jack INGHAM (NED), Seán KEELING (IRL), Max KENNEDY (IRL), Luis MASAVEU (ESP), Matt MCCLEAN (IRL), Jonathan NIELSEN (DEN), Tom OSBORNE (ENG), Calum SCOTT (SCO), Dylan SHAW-RADFORD (ENG), Benjamin REUTER (NED), Matt ROBERTS (WAL), Harley SMITH (ENG), Gregor TAIT (SCO), Altin VAN DER MERWE (RSA) and Lars VAN DER VIGHT (NED).

The most notable GB&I ‘absentees’ this week are Ben BOLTON (ENG), Barclay BROWN (ENG), James CLARIDGE (ENG) WD, Paul CONROY (IRL) WD, Charlie CROCKETT (ENG), Daniel HAYES (ENG), Conor GOUGH (ENG), Kris KIM (ENG), Liam NOLAN (IRL), Joe SULLIVAN (ENG) and Tyler WEAVER (ENG).

Tee Times

Click here to view the – 2024 St. Andrews Links Trophy Tee Times

Weather Forecast (as at Tuesday 4th June)

The current weather forecast looks just about acceptable with dry mornings and some rain every afternoon. Strong breezes should also make play interesting at times.

Friday 7th June – Sunny AM / Light Rain PM. Wind 23 mph W. Temp. Min. 7°C / Max. 13°C.
Saturday 8th June – Sunny AM / Light Rain PM. Wind 19 mph SE. Temp. Min. 9°C / Max. 15°C.
Sunday 9th June – Sunny AM / Light Rain PM. Wind 15 mph w. Temp. Min. 9°C / Max. 16°C.

Tee times in Rounds 1 and 2 will start at 7.00am and end at 3.10pm so as with any links course the draw could play a part in proceedings.

Prizes

The winner receives The St Andrews Links Trophy and a commemorative medal.

The runner-up and third place finisher also receive medals.

Reducing voucher prizes are also awarded to the top 10 finishers.

In addition to the main prizes The Ian Forbes Memorial Cup is awarded for the best aggregate score on the first two days of the Championship.

The Open Championship

Introduced in 2023 The Open Amateur Series, which offers an exemption into The Open Championship, is again being offered by The R&A.

The player who gains the most WAGR points in the St. Andrews Links Trophy, the Amateur Championship and the European Amateur Championship will earn a spot at Royal Troon G.C. in July.

Competition Website

For more information click here to view the – 2024 St. Andrews Links Trophy Tournament Website

2023 St. Andrews Links Trophy

Alex MAGUIRE (IRL) won the St. Andrews Links Trophy by 5-shots with rounds of 70, 66, 66 and 64 and a 266 (-21) total.

The Laytown & Bettystown member became the fourth Irish winner following in the footsteps of Alan Dunbar (2009), Connor O’Rourke (2016) and John Murphy (2018).

img_5272

Alex Maguire (Photo: St. Andrews Links Trust)

Albert HANSSON (SWE) -16 finished 2nd, Calum SCOTT (SCO) -15 3rd, Harry CROCKETT (ENG) -15 4th and Paul BEAUVY (FRA) -12 5th.I

img_5265

2023 STAL Final Results (Graphic: St. Andrews Links Trust / Golf Genius)

Click here to view the – 2023 St. Andrews Links Trophy Results

Past Winners

Click here to view a full list of the – St Andrews Links Trophy Past Winners

Only Craig WATSON (1992 and 1998), the former GB&I Walker Cup captain, and Barclay HOWARD (1994 and 1996) have won the title twice.

The most famous winner is Justin ROSE who won in 1997.

Interestingly given the normally cosmopolitan nature of the fields the Links Trophy has only been won by players from outside GB&I on four occasions – Australia’s Stuart BOVIER (1990), Daan HUIZING from The Netherlands (2012), Federico ZUCCHETTI from Italy (2015) and Connor MCKINNEY (AUS) from Australia (2022).

Huizing, who had won the 2012 Lytham Trophy by 11 shots just a few weeks earlier, set a scoring record of -23 in 2012 (65 New, 64, 68 and 67 all Old) and won by an astonishing 14 shots.

ME.

Copyright © 2014-2024, Mark Eley. All Rights Reserved.

Scottish Men’s Open Championship – 2024 Preview & Results

Posted on by

2nd June 2024

Round 4

Dominic CLEMONS (ENG) has won the Scottish Men’s Open Championship with a 260 (-24) total.

He is the 11th English winner and the fourth in the last five playings.

img_8637-1

Dominic Clemons (Photo: Scottish Golf)

I was impressed with his 65 this morning in the circumstances but clearly Mr. Clemons was not. A bogey free 9-under 62 in the final round this afternoon saw him run off into the distance and ultimately win by an amazing 17 shots.

21 year old  – he’s 22 on 14th June – Clemons has just finished his senior fourth year at Stetson University having transferred there from Hutchinson two years ago. He arrived home to Cambridge in good form having finished 87th in the 2024 Clipped Scoreboard Men’s Division I Individual Ranking. Whilst I tipped him to do well in my Preview below I’m sure neither he nor certainly I were expecting a performance of this magnitude.

Talking to Scottish Golf afterwards he said “When it’s your day, it’s your day. When I was out there, I wasn’t thinking about what it means to win around Muirfield, but now it’s sinking in.”

Screenshot 2024-06-02 at 19.03.52

Dominic Clemons Round 4 Scorecard (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

Jordan BURNAND (RSA) -7 finished 2nd on last round count back, Kai KOMULAINEN (AUS) -7 3rd, Jamie NIELSEN (DEN) -6 4th and Matteo CRISTONI (ITA), who had a final round hole-in-one on the 16th, -4 5th.

Jack MCDONALD -1 8th was the highest finishing Scot with Charlie FORSTER (ENG) Ev also finishing in the top 10.

Just eight of the 44 players who made the cut finished under par.

Screenshot 2024-06-02 at 19.08.36

Round 4 Scoreboard – Leaders (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

Click here to view the – 2024 Scottish Men’s Open Championship Leaderboard

_______________________________________

Round 3

Overnight leader Dominic CLEMONS (ENG) showed few nerves in producing a second consecutive 6-under 65 at Muirfield in this morning’s third round.

He now leads the Scottish Men’s Amateur Open Championship by 5-shots going into this afternoon’s final round.

Screenshot 2024-06-02 at 14.05.53

Dominic Clemons Round 3 Scorecard (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

Australian Kai KOMULAINEN, playing in the penultimate three-ball, produced a bogey-free 68 to move into 2nd place on -10.

Clemons’ playing partners Jordan BURNAND (RSA) 71 and Altin VAN DER MERWE (RSA) 72 just about stayed in touch with him, albeit four and five bogeys respectively on their cards were always going to hold them back.

Jamie NIELSEN (DEN) and Matteo CRISTONI (ITA) finished the round on -5 and tied 5th. Cristoni’s 67 was the second best third round score behind the leader.

Screenshot 2024-06-02 at 14.05.40

Round 3 Scoreboard – Leaders (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

ME.

_______________________________________

1st June 2024

Round 2

Dominic CLEMONS (ENG) moved into the lead at the Scottish Men’s Open Championship after shooting a 6-under 65 around Muirfield on Day 2.

Screenshot 2024-06-01 at 22.30.55

Dominic Clemons Round 2 Scorecard (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

Jordan BURNAND‘s (RSA) 7-under 64, the best round of the day, lifted him 12 places on the leaderboard into 2nd place. He will start the final day 1-shot behind Clemons.

Screenshot 2024-06-01 at 22.30.42

Jordan Burnand Round 2 Scorecard (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

Kai KOMULAINEN (AUS) and Altin VAN DER MERWE (RSA) -7 are tied 3rd after they both recorded 67’s.

Overnight leader Jamie NIELSEN (DEN) fell back to 5th after his even par 71.

The other big movers towards the top of the leaderboard on Saturday were Maxime LAM (FRA) 66, up 48 spots and now tied 6th on -3, and Rory MCDONALD-O’BRIEN (ENG) 67, up 43 places and now tied 11th on -2.

Screenshot 2024-06-01 at 22.30.20

Round 2 Scorecard – Leaders (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

44 players made the top 40 and ties cut which fell at +2.

ME.

_______________________________________

31st May 2024

Round 1

Jamie NIELSEN (DEN) took the early lead in the Scottish Open Amateur after a seven birdie 65 (-6) around the famous Muirfield links.

Screenshot 2024-05-31 at 21.49.48

Jamie Nielsen Round 1 Scorecard (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

David LUNDGREN (SWE), Eli RIEGGER (USA), Charlie FORSTER (ENG), Khaled ATTIEH (SAU), Kai KOMULAINEN (AUS), Dominic CLEMONS (ENG) and Altin VAN DER MERWE (RSA) are all tied 2nd on -3.

On a lovely day for golf in East Lothian 23 players broke par at Muirfield with a further 11 finishing their opening rounds on Even par.

Screenshot 2024-05-31 at 21.49.29

Round 1 Scorecard – Leaders (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

ME.

_______________________________________

28th May 2024

The 57th Scottish Men’s Open Stroke Play Championship starts on Friday 31st May at Muirfield in Gullane, East Lothian.

I will be updating this article throughout the week.

img_8484-1

Format

This open scratch amateur competition consists of 72 holes of stroke play.

18 holes will be played on both Friday 31st May and Saturday 1st June.

A 36 hole cut will then take place with only the leading 40 competitors and ties qualifying for the final two rounds which will be played on Sunday 2nd June.

In the event of a tie for the Championship there will be a sudden death play off. All other ties will be resolved via card count back.

Field

144 competitors will start the 2024 Championship.

The field will be made up of (1) the 55 entrants with the highest WAGRs, (2) the next 55 players with the lowest WHS Handicap Index, (3) 10 Scottish Golf nominations and (4) a minimum of 24 players via the Pre-Qualifying event (see below).

The busy amateur schedule means that despite hosting the Championship at Muirfield, one of the best courses in the world, Scottish Golf have again struggled to attract a top class field for its Open Amateur. The NCAA U.S. college season, which only ends on Wednesday 29th May, and the conflicting East of Ireland Men’s Open Amateur and PGA Tour Americas Q-School events have attracted some players. Others are resting with the Scottish Open falling between the Brabazon Trophy and St. Andrews Links Trophy & Amateur Championship in a few weeks time.

The defending champion Connor GRAHAM (SCO), still recovering from a wrist injury, and his brother Gregor GRAHAM, one of GB&I’s best players this year, are both skipping the event.

On paper Cameron ADAM (SCO), Eliot BAKER (ENG), Jordan BURNAND (RSA), Zach CHEGWIDDEN (ENG), Dominic CLEMONS (ENG), Brodie CUNNINGHAM (SCO), Andrew DAVIDSON (SCO), Charlie FORSTER (ENG), Andrew HASWELL (ENG), Jack INGHAM (NED), Jack MCDONALD (SCO), Benjamin REUTER (NED), Matt ROBERTS (WAL), Gregor TAIT (SCO), Altin VAN DER MERWE (RSA) and Matthew WILSON (SCO) seem the most likely to feature highly on the leaderboard.

Pre-Qualifying

Scottish Golf, for the third time, held an 18 hole Pre-Qualifying event. This year it took place on Tuesday 28th May at Gullane No. 2.

Jack DRURY (ENG) and Charlie GILLESPIE (SCO), who both posted 65’s (-6), were the co-medalists leading 36 guaranteed players into the main event. The top 36 cut off fell at -1 with II players on the number. Seven made it through on count back with Ellis WILLOT (ENG) taking the final spot and the four remaining players making up a reserve list.

Click here to view the – 2024 Scottish Men’s Open Championship Pre-Qualifying Results

Muirfield

The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (HCEG) was formed in 1744 with Muirfield becoming their home in 1891.

The original links was laid out by Old Tom Morris before Harry Colt redesigned it; his course, now on a larger site, opening for play in 1924. Martin Hawtree undertook further refinements in 2011.

Muirfield has staged the Open Championship (16 times), Amateur Championship (11), Curtis Cup (2), Walker Cup (2), Vagliano Trophy (2) and Ryder Cup (1).

It staged the inaugural Scottish Open Amateur in 1967 when Bernard Gallacher won and then again in  1977 when Paul McKellar (SCO) was victorious.

Unusually for a links course the opening nine holes circle clockwise around the edge of the property before the back nine plays in an anti-clockwise direction on the inside. The fairways are generally flat and visible, and despite their being 148 deep bunkers, the test has always been considered a fair one.

The Championship course plays to 7,245 yards and a par of 71. It has a Course Rating of 73.8 and a Slope Rating of 142.

Prizes

The Winner receives the distinctive silver Championship Trophy and a Crystal Award.

Crystal Awards are also given to the runner-up and third place finisher.

Weather Forecast (last updated Friday 30th May)

The weather forecast suggests the Championship will be played largely in sunny conditions with only light breezes expected throughout.

Fri 31st May – Sunny Intervals / Wind 10 mph NE / Temp. Min. 10°C / Max. 16°C,
Sat 1st June – Sunny /  Wind 8 mph NE / Temp. Min. 8°C / Max. 17°C
Sun 2nd June – Sunny Intervals / Wind 20 mph W / Temp. Min. 12°C / Max. 18°C

2023 Results

A 16 year old Connor GRAHAM (SCO) won the 2023 Scottish Men’s Open Championship at Meldrum House in Aberdeenshire.

img_5197

Conor Graham (Photo: Scottish Golf)

Graham produced four under par rounds for a 265 (-15) total. This included a final round 63 (-7), the low round of the Championship, to storm to a 4-shot victory.

Experienced South African, Altin VAN DER MERWE -11, finished 2nd, Zach CHEGWIDDEN (ENG) -8 was 3rd, Jordan BURNAND (RSA) -7 4th and Max HOPKINS (ENG) -6 5th on count back (last 3 holes) from Connor MCDADE (AUS) -6 who had to settle for 6th.

img_5191

Final Results (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

Click here to view the – 2023 Scottish Men’s Open Championship Leaderboard

Past Winners

The Scottish Men’s Open Amateur was first contested in 1967 and has an impressive list of past winners. Here are some of them: –

2011 – Andy Sullivan (ENG)
2009 – Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
2004 – Richie Ramsay (SCO)
2003 – Gary Wolstenholme (ENG)
1997 – Barclay Howard (SCO)
1996 – Alastair Forsyth (SCO)
1995 – Stephen Gallacher (SCO)
1992 – Dean Robertson (SCO)
1991 – Andrew Coltart (SCO)
1985 – Colin Montgomerie (SCO)
1981 – Philip Walton (IRE)
1980 – Gordon Brand Jr (ENG)
1975 and 1984 – Charlie Green (SCO)
1971, 1974 and 1979 – Ian Hutcheon (SCO)
1970 – Dale Hayes (RSA)
1968 – Ronnie Shade (SCO)
1967 – Bernard Gallacher (SCO)

A full list of the past winners can be viewed here – Scottish Open Amateur Winners

ME.

Copyright © 2014-2024, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

England v. France Men’s International Match – 2024 Preview & Results

Posted on by

12th May 2024

France beat England 13.5.-10.5 in the 37th Men’s International Match played this year at Moortown G.C.

This was France’s sixth win in the biennial series and their first since 2010 at Chantilly.

img_8390-1

France Team (Photo: Federation of French Golf

Four French and two English players won three of the four matches they played.

Screenshot 2024-05-13 at 10.07.07

Click here to view the – England v. France Match Results

Day 2

img_8383-1

Morning Foursomes

England and France again halved the Foursomes series 2.0-2.0.

Hugo LE GOFF & Noa AUCH-ROY were again in superb form as they blew away England’s star pairing of Dylan SHAW-RADFORD & Harley SMITH with a 3&2 win in the opening game.

Will HOPKINS & Zach CHEGWIDDEN secured England’s first point of Day 2 with a strong foursomes performance against Darren STRACHAN & Rafael BOBO-LLORET; hole wins on the 14th and 15th pushed the English pairing on to a 3&1 win.

Ben BOLTON & Ben BROWN came out on the wrong side of an exciting match against Oscar COUILLEAU & LOUKA MORIN, with plenty of birdies from both sides, by 1 Hole.

Eliot BAKER & James CLARIDGE beat Callixte ALZAS & Aaron VAN HAUWE by 2&1 to earn their first wins of the match.

img_8385-1

Day 2 Foursomes Results (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

Afternoon Singles

France won the Day 2 Singles series 4.5-3.5 to complete a thoroughly deserved match win.

Hugo LE GOFF and Will HOPKINS again played each other in the top match. This time it was the turn of the Frenchman to earn the 1 Hole victory in another high class encounter.

Harley SMITH continued his good form with a comfortable 4&3 victory over Noa AUCH-ROY helped by a match play eagle and five birdies in the 15 holes they played.

Yorkshire’s Dylan SHAW-RADFORD wasn’t to be out done by his foursomes partner. Five birdies in his 14 holes enabled him to runaway from Louka MORIN by 5&4 in Game 3.

Rafael BOBO-LLORET easily saw off Ben BOLTON 6&5 after the Englishman got on the bogey train on the 6th hole and was unable to get off it.

Zach CHEGWIDDEN, who was 4Down after 11 holes after a sloppy front nine to Darren STRACHAN, fought back to 1Down by the 15th but a three putt bogey on 16 gave the Frenchman the breathing space he needed to secure a 2&1 win.

Ben BROWN got the better of Callixte ALZAS in a rollercoaster match where the home player took an early lead, let it slip around the turn, before finishing strongly, a long putt from off the green for birdie on the 18th being key, for a 1Hole win.

Aaron VAN HAUWE beat Devon’s Eliot BAKER by 2&1 in the penultimate Singles, the highlight being his eagle on the 519 yard 7th.

James CLARIDGE, who was behind for most of his match against Oscar COUILLEAU, showed good heart in winning the closing two holes to tie his game, albeit the Frenchman bogeyed both of them.

img_8384-1

ME.

______________________________________

11th May 2024

Day 1

img_8368-1

Morning Foursomes

England and France halved the Day 1 Foursomes series 2.0-2.0.

In Game 1 Hugo LE GOFF & Noa AUCH-ROY were a match play 6-under par for the 15 holes they required to beat Will HOPKINS & Zach CHEGWIDDEN by 5&3.

Game 2 saw the victorious 2024 Sunningdale Foursomes pairing of Dylan SHAW-RADFORD & Harley SMITH overcome Oscar COUILLEAU & Darren STRACHAN, who had 5 bogeys in the 14 holes they played, by 5&4.

Ben BROWN & Ben BOLTON beat Rafael BOBO-LLORET & LOUKA MORIN by 2&1, the French pair unable to recover from losing the 5th, 6th, 8th and 9th holes, three of them to bogeys.

In the final game Callixte ALZAS & Aaron VAN HAUWE beat Eliot BAKER & James CLARIDGE by 3&1. The French pair were 3Up at the turn and saw out the match relatively comfortably thereafter.

img_8386-1

Day 1 Foursomes Results (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

Afternoon Singles

France won the Day 1 Singles series 5.0-3.0.

Will HOPKINS, who won the Lytham Trophy last weekend, got the better of Hugo LE GOFF in the opening Singles. 2Down with four holes to plan Hopkins delivered two birdies, including one on the home hole with a 25 foot putt, to secure a memorable 1 Hole victory.

The second game was equally tight with Noa AUCH-ROY getting the better of Zach CHEGWIDDEN by 1 Hole.

Harley SMITH and Dylan SHAW-RADFORD both maintained their unbeaten match records with 5&4 and 2&1 wins against Darren STRACHAN and Rafael BOBO-LLORET respectively.

Ben BROWN and James CLARIDGE both got off to good starts in their games, Brown leading 2Up after 4 holes and Claridge 3Up after 5, but both were reeled in by Louka MORIN and Callixte ALZAS as they leaked bogeys as their rounds progressed.

Aaron VAN HAUWE outlasted Ben BOLTON in a competitive match which was All Square after 16 holes before the Enville player handed the initiative to the Frenchman with two badly timed bogeys on the 17th and 18th holes.

The biggest Singles win of Day 1 went to Oscar COUILLEAU who beat Eliot BAKER by 6&5. Couilleau was a match play 5-under par for the 13 holes he required to reach the winning line.

img_8365-1

Day 1 Singles Results (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

ME.

______________________________________

10th May 2024

England will play France this coming weekend in the 37th Men’s International Match between the two countries.

The last match, played at Golf de Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche near Paris in May 2022, was won by England.

Format

8 man teams from each country will play 4 foursomes and 8 single matches on both Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th May.

With a total of 24 points to play for the winning team needs to secure 12.5 points to win the match outright. As England won the 2022 match they will also retain the trophy in the event of a 12-12 tie. Having said that there has never previously been a tie in the history of the contest.

The biennial match is normally played on an alternate home and away basis.

Teams

The biennial playing of this fixture in mid-May hampers selection nowadays as both teams have an increasing number of potential players competing on the U.S. college circuit.

Here are the two eight man teams with each player’s current World Amateur Golf Ranking (as at 8th May) in brackets after their name: –

England
Eliot Baker (842)
Ben Bolton (708)
Ben Brown (1,089)
Zach Chegwidden (828)
James Claridge (202)
Will Hopkins (102)
Dylan Shaw-Radford (514)
Harley Smith (928)

Total WAGR = 5,213

Zach Chegwidden is the only returning England player from two years ago.

img_8379-1

England Team (Photo: Golf England)

France
Noa Auch-Roy (1,067)
Callixte Alzas (977)
Rafeal Bobo-Lloret (1,993)
Oscar Couilleau (599)
Hugo Le Goff (323)
Louka Morin (2,791)
Darren Strachan  (399)
Aaron Van Hauwe (2,337)

Total WAGR = 10,486 

France have no returning players from the 2022 match.

img_8378-1

France Team (Photo: Golf England)

England will start the match as favourites as is normally the case given past results and their greater strength in depth as a golf nation.

Tee Times

Click here to view the – England v. France Tee Times

Venue

Moortown Golf Club was designed by Dr Alister MacKenzie in 1909 across woodland and moorland on the northern outskirts of Leeds.

The club has long held a reputation as a venue for prestigious international championships and was the host of the first Ryder Cup match on British soil in 1929.

Off the Blue Championship Tees the courses measures 7,001 yards and plays to a par of 71.

The Gibraltar par 3 10th, shown below, is the Club’s signature hole.

Weather Forecast

Near perfect golfing weather is expected in Northern England over the coming days; warm sunshine with light breezes.

Sat  11th May – Sunny / Wind 11 mph SE / Temp. Min. 11°C / Max. 23°C.
Sun 12th May – Sunny / Wind 12 mph SE / Temp. Min. 13°C / Max. 22°C.

Match History

This International Match was first played in 1934, originally starting with 6 players per side before moving to 8 in 1949.

It lapsed after the 1962 match at Ganton Golf Club but was resurrected in 1982 at Chantilly with a new format which has been retained to this day.

Frilford Heath Golf Club, hosts of the 1984 match, donated a silver salver which the winning team retains.

img_1483

England v. France Match Salver (Photo: Alexis Orloff / FFGolf)

To date England have won 31 of the matches with France winning just 5, the last one being in 2010 at Chantilly.

2022 International Match

England beat France 13.5-10.5 in the 2022 Men’s International Match at Golf de Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche, finally overcoming their stubborn opponents in the final Singles session.

img_1523

The Winning England Team (Photo: England Golf)

French pair Julien Sale and Oihan Guillamoundeguy were the star performers in the match delivering the two only unbeaten records.

John Gough, Arron Edwards-Hill, Jack Bigham and Sam Bairstow crucially won both of their Singles for the English.

Screenshot 2022-05-16 at 09.00.30

Past Results

The overall match record is Played 36, England 31 Wins and France 5 Wins.

Match

Year

 Venue

England

France

Winner
37 2024 Moortown 10.5 13.5 France
36 2022 St-Nom-la-Bretèche 13.5 10.5 England
2020 Cancelled
35 2018 Vidauban 13 7 England
34 2016 Formby 14 10 England
33 2014 Fontainebleau 13 11 England
32 2012 Roch. & Cobham 15 9 England
31 2010 Chantilly 11 13 France
30 2008 Frilford Heath 14 10 England
29 2006 Golf du Medoc 16.5 7.5 England
28 2004 Royal St. George’s 11.5 12.5 France
27 2002 Chantilly 17.5 6.5 England
26 2000 Chart Hills 17.5 6.5 England
25 1998 Les Bordes 11.5 12.5 France
24 1996 Sunningdale 9 15 France
23 1994 Nimes 17 7 England
22 1992 Royal Lytham 18 6 England
21 1990 Morfontaine 16.5 7.5 England
20 1988 Berkshire 16 8 England
19 1986 Hossegor 14.5 9.5 England
18 1984 Frilford Heath 16 8 England
17 1982 Chantilly 13 11 England

 1963-1981 No matches were played 
16 1962 Ganton 7.5 4.5 England
15 1960 Chantilly 7.5 4.5 England
14 1959 West Hill 8.5 3.5 England
13 1956 Chantilly 10 2 England
12 1954 Berkshire 11 1 England
11 1952 Deal 8 4 England
10 1950 Morfontaine 8.5 3.5 England
9 1949 Deal 5 4 England
8 1948 St. Cloud 5.5 3.5 England
7 1947 Wentworth 8 1 England

 1940-1946 No matches were played 
6 1939 Morfontaine 5 4 France
5 1938 Sunningdale 8.5 0.5 England
4 1937 Chantilly 7 0 England
3 1936 Deal 5.5 3.5 England
2 1935 St. Germain-en-Laye 5.5 3.5 England
1 1934 Wentworth 5.5 3.5 England

N.B. Matches 1–8 had 6 players and matches 9-35 had 8 players

ME.

Copyright © 2014-2024, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.